Classical Music | Piano Music

Enrique Granados

Melancólica  Play

Daniel del Pino Piano

Recorded on 03/04/2008, uploaded on 01/10/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Melancólica ("melancholic") belongs to the set of Twelve Spanish Dances composed in 1890 when Granados had just returned to Barcelona from France. He was inspired by the "salon" music so in vogue in Paris at that time and this simple dance is a clear example of that period. Zapateado belongs to the set "Six pieces on Spanish popular songs", composed in the same period as Melancólica, and is a typical dance where the rhythm is made by the dancer's shoes.

Both works show the characteristics of his early music, without the depth that future work will have (Goyescas), but containing much charm. Granados died on his way back from the US, where his opera Goyescas received its premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He and his wife arrived in Liverpool and embarked on the British "Sussex" which was hit by a German submarine torpedo.        Daniel del Pino